IN YOUR OPINION

Letters to the editor for Feb. 9, 2013

Published: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 8, 2013 at 8:31 p.m.

With regard to the editorial “Tax Internet sales” (Feb. 5), I actually wonder if the individuals lobbying for this with dollar signs in their eyes have considered the impact and ramifications.

Consider this. A business has an Internet presence and sells online. How does anyone propose collecting and then disbursing said sales tax to the appropriate state?

As it stands now, as every business in the state of Florida should do, we collect sales tax on products we sell “within the state.” Quarterly, we are required to file a report and remit those sales taxes collected to the Department of Revenue with the state of Florida.

Now, multiply that process by 50. There are, as an informed individual will note, 50 states.

Each state has their own department of revenue and process whereby sales tax is collected and remitted. Each state has a different sales tax rate and a different taxing structure.

Someone tell me how a small business, nay, any business is going to collect, monitor and remit sales tax 50 times with all the variations each and every quarter, and then be subject to audits from all those states.

And finally, who will/would be the enforcing and auditing agency?

Just living with dollar signs in ones eyes and gleefully rubbing ones hands together pondering the possibility of ALL that revenue is not enough. But then again, those individuals generally have a very myopic and shortsighted view of what it is they suggest and try to legislate.

As a small business owner, something along this magnitude would make me seriously consider eliminating my online presence and there is nothing locally that would make up the difference. Ah, more businesses closing down and more jobs lost.

James Davis

Silver Springs

Not the freest

This is in response to the letter “Fair share” (Feb. 5) in which the writer asked, “Perhaps you could tell us what country has more personal freedoms than the United States.”

Really? I appreciate the freedoms we currently have in this country, however, we are not by any means top dog in this arena. People have to stop living in a fantasy world. The United States isn’t even listed in the top 10 countries with the most freedoms. The rankings are as follows. Finland as No. 1 followed by Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Australia, United Kingdom, and Canada.

According to the Tenth United Nations Survey of crime trends in 2006, the U.S ranks first in suspected drug criminals, 18th in democracy, 24th in freedom of press, and 49th in civil liberties. Several countries — Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Norway — are tied for first.

The reality is that our freedoms are constantly being chipped away under the guise of keeping us safe. People please, wake up. We are not the Ozzie and Harriet country of yesteryear.

Ron Bibeau

Ocala

Scott’s policy myopia

Taxation without representation” was one of the rallying cries at the founding of our republic. Today we have a new aberration: taxation without benefit. That is exactly what Gov. Rick Scott is doing to Floridians by rejecting the Medicaid expansion plank of Obamacare. The governor is completely powerless to stop Floridians from being taxed to pay for this new program. But he is capable of making sure that Floridians don’t get all the benefits we are paying for.

The Medicaid expansion will do the most to help the working poor who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid under the current system. But this affects everyone in Florida, even if you already have insurance. Here’s how.

When the uninsured receive care that they can’t pay for, we all foot the bill in the form of higher healthcare costs and subsequent higher insurance rates. By covering these people with the Medicaid expansion, doctors and hospitals will no longer have to pass the costs of the uninsured to everyone else so that we can all pay less.

Will this work? We won’t know until we try, and we will never try if our governor continually places his rigid ideology above common sense and the well-being of the Florida people.

Two years ago Scott turned down billions in federal development aid for high-speed rail, costing this state thousands of well-paying jobs. Now he is poised to repeat that mistake by turning down billions of dollars more.

Meanwhile, is it any wonder that Satanists recently held a rally for Rick Scott? Sabotaging health care reform and denying coverage to the working poor is pure evil.

Gary Schor

Silver Springs

Gun ban won’t work

I see where the White House released a photo of the president shooting skeet at Camp David. Nice try guys, I’ve never seen someone trying to hit a clay pigeon shooting parallel to the ground.

It is very clear that this administration wants to take guns away from legal gun owners. The president has made this clear from day one, and he will use every illegal, deplorable event to try and make his case.

What he fails to realize is that if he passes all the laws he wants, or bans guns through executive order, he will not stop gangs, criminals or someone who is mentally disturbed from getting guns. He needs to check the gang-related homicide rate in his hometown of Chicago, a place with very strict gun laws, to remind him that gun bans don’t work. The best way to stop gun violence is a show of force from trained citizens. Think back to the two clowns who tried to rob the Internet café in Ocala.

At this point, until a better solution is available, all schools need armed guards.

<p><b>Internet tax questions</b></p><p>With regard to the editorial “Tax Internet sales” (Feb. 5), I actually wonder if the individuals lobbying for this with dollar signs in their eyes have considered the impact and ramifications.</p><p>Consider this. A business has an Internet presence and sells online. How does anyone propose collecting and then disbursing said sales tax to the appropriate state?</p><p>As it stands now, as every business in the state of Florida should do, we collect sales tax on products we sell “within the state.” Quarterly, we are required to file a report and remit those sales taxes collected to the Department of Revenue with the state of Florida.</p><p>Now, multiply that process by 50. There are, as an informed individual will note, 50 states.</p><p>Each state has their own department of revenue and process whereby sales tax is collected and remitted. Each state has a different sales tax rate and a different taxing structure.</p><p>Someone tell me how a small business, nay, any business is going to collect, monitor and remit sales tax 50 times with all the variations each and every quarter, and then be subject to audits from all those states.</p><p>And finally, who will/would be the enforcing and auditing agency?</p><p>Just living with dollar signs in ones eyes and gleefully rubbing ones hands together pondering the possibility of ALL that revenue is not enough. But then again, those individuals generally have a very myopic and shortsighted view of what it is they suggest and try to legislate.</p><p>As a small business owner, something along this magnitude would make me seriously consider eliminating my online presence and there is nothing locally that would make up the difference. Ah, more businesses closing down and more jobs lost.</p><p><i>James Davis</p><p>Silver Springs</i></p><p><b>Not the freest</b></p><p>This is in response to the letter “Fair share” (Feb. 5) in which the writer asked, “Perhaps you could tell us what country has more personal freedoms than the United States.”</p><p>Really? I appreciate the freedoms we currently have in this country, however, we are not by any means top dog in this arena. People have to stop living in a fantasy world. The United States isn't even listed in the top 10 countries with the most freedoms. The rankings are as follows. Finland as No. 1 followed by Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, Australia, United Kingdom, and Canada.</p><p>According to the Tenth United Nations Survey of crime trends in 2006, the U.S ranks first in suspected drug criminals, 18th in democracy, 24th in freedom of press, and 49th in civil liberties. Several countries — Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Norway — are tied for first.</p><p>The reality is that our freedoms are constantly being chipped away under the guise of keeping us safe. People please, wake up. We are not the Ozzie and Harriet country of yesteryear.</p><p><i>Ron Bibeau</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p><b>Scott's policy myopia</b></p><p>Taxation without representation” was one of the rallying cries at the founding of our republic. Today we have a new aberration: taxation without benefit. That is exactly what Gov. Rick Scott is doing to Floridians by rejecting the Medicaid expansion plank of Obamacare. The governor is completely powerless to stop Floridians from being taxed to pay for this new program. But he is capable of making sure that Floridians don't get all the benefits we are paying for.</p><p>The Medicaid expansion will do the most to help the working poor who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid under the current system. But this affects everyone in Florida, even if you already have insurance. Here's how.</p><p>When the uninsured receive care that they can't pay for, we all foot the bill in the form of higher healthcare costs and subsequent higher insurance rates. By covering these people with the Medicaid expansion, doctors and hospitals will no longer have to pass the costs of the uninsured to everyone else so that we can all pay less.</p><p>Will this work? We won't know until we try, and we will never try if our governor continually places his rigid ideology above common sense and the well-being of the Florida people.</p><p>Two years ago Scott turned down billions in federal development aid for high-speed rail, costing this state thousands of well-paying jobs. Now he is poised to repeat that mistake by turning down billions of dollars more.</p><p>Meanwhile, is it any wonder that Satanists recently held a rally for Rick Scott? Sabotaging health care reform and denying coverage to the working poor is pure evil.</p><p><i>Gary Schor</p><p>Silver Springs</i></p><p><b>Gun ban won't work</b></p><p>I see where the White House released a photo of the president shooting skeet at Camp David. Nice try guys, I've never seen someone trying to hit a clay pigeon shooting parallel to the ground.</p><p>It is very clear that this administration wants to take guns away from legal gun owners. The president has made this clear from day one, and he will use every illegal, deplorable event to try and make his case.</p><p>What he fails to realize is that if he passes all the laws he wants, or bans guns through executive order, he will not stop gangs, criminals or someone who is mentally disturbed from getting guns. He needs to check the gang-related homicide rate in his hometown of Chicago, a place with very strict gun laws, to remind him that gun bans don't work. The best way to stop gun violence is a show of force from trained citizens. Think back to the two clowns who tried to rob the Internet café in Ocala.</p><p>At this point, until a better solution is available, all schools need armed guards.</p><p><i>Dennis P. Birdsall</p><p>Rainbow Springs</i></p>